Meat Party!
Let’s rewind the clock just a little.
“I’m so nervous…”
On a path where fallen leaves brushed against their feet, Cecilia’s quiet voice carried softly in front of the barbecue restaurant.
The weather was still cold, the wind fierce. In that chill, Cecilia kept fidgeting with her hands inside her oversized sleeves.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah, maybe…?”
Her answer came out timid. Under the hood she’d pulled up, her ears twitched now and then. From the puffed-out silhouette of her back, I could tell her tail had gone stiff. At the very least, she didn’t look confident.
“…Still, coming all this way just to turn around would feel weird.”
“That’s true. Let’s go in. Cecile, okay?”
Suddenly I felt something tug at my sleeve. Glancing down, I saw Cecilia pinching the fabric between her fingers and pulling gently.
“….”
She wasn’t looking at me, though. She just kept staring at the entrance with a slightly tense expression. Grabbing my sleeve must have been unconscious. Being chosen as someone to lean on didn’t feel bad at all.
“Let’s go.”
I gave her small back a couple of light pats and strode toward the door. The longer we dragged this out, the more nervous she’d get.
When I opened the door, a little bell jingled. Right after, a wave of thick warmth and the rich smell of meat wrapped around me in an instant.
“Mmm.”
It was a world apart from the leaf-strewn cold outside. Warmth seeped into my slightly chilled body.
“Oh?”
Cecilia’s voice reached me. When I turned, she was sniffing the air with a curious look on her face.
“…A place that sells meat?”
“Ah, yeah. Did I not tell you?”
I tilted my head and asked back. Come to think of it, I might have just said “let’s go eat”… or maybe not. I was a little fuzzy on it.
“You don’t like meat, do you?”
At my quiet question she shook her head left and right. So she didn’t mind. More than that—her earlier tense expression now seemed to hold a hint of anticipation.
I led her deeper into the restaurant, still feeling her hand lightly holding my sleeve. Since they weren’t outside, they had to be in a private room. Which one, though…
Looking around with that thought, I spotted a private room whose door stood slightly ajar. I peeked inside, then flung it open.
“Whoa.”
“Welcome, senior.”
Two people were sitting there, picking at a half-hearted meal: Jaeseop hyung and my junior, Oh Eunhwan. Hyung’s eyes went wide at the sound of the door; Eunhwan greeted me with perfect calm.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
I answered briefly as I walked over. At the same time… a faint trembling reached me from Cecilia, who had somehow hidden herself behind my back.
“Cecilia…”
“I-I’m just nervous. Give me a second.”
“…If you’re like this, how did you ever get through school?”
“That’s different from this…”
While I closed the private-room door, Cecilia buried her face against my back and took several deep breaths. Watching us, the two at the table snickered. Hyung’s little “Oh my, oh my” was especially annoying.
…And embarrassing.
“Phew.”
After finishing her breathing, Cecilia stepped forward and opened her mouth.
“…Um.”
“Feel free to be casual! What’s your name?”
“…I’m Cecilia.”
“I heard you’re an otherworlder! Beastkin?”
“Y-yeah. Cat beastkin…”
“Kitty! Super cute~.”
With a completely unwrinkled, bright smile, Eunhwan spoke in a friendly tone. Toward the flustered Cecilia she patted the seat beside her with a couple of firm taps.
“Come on, sit right here!”
“Uh, uhh.”
“We’ve already grilled some meat. Eat whatever you want—it’s free.”
Without giving her a chance to get a word in, yet still gently, the two of them guided Cecilia to the table. At their treatment she glanced at me as if asking for a judgment call. I nodded and lightly stroked the back of her head. Her expression slowly loosened. She let out a single happy purr, then sat down as directed.
“No need to be tense. We’ve known Lee Eunhyuk for a long time. Just treat us like close friends.”
“I’m Oh Eunhwan!”
“I’m Nam Jaeseop. …Please take good care of our Eunhyuk, Cecilia.”
The moment she sat, a barrage of words poured over her. Faced with the two of them talking at once, Cecilia couldn’t manage a proper reply and only offered an awkward smile. She didn’t seem to dislike it. But she did look troubled.
“Alrighty. Shall we eat first? Conversations go better on a full stomach.”
“Yeah, sounds good. Everyone dig in.”
“C-can I really eat?”
Cecilia asked in a still-hesitant voice. Hyung, Eunhwan, and I all nodded readily.
“Of course!”
“Of course.”
“No need to hold back.”
“…Then I won’t hold back.”
With slightly awkward movements, Cecilia picked up her chopsticks. She took a piece of meat, turned it this way and that to examine it, then—
“…Nom.”
—took a big bite. All of us quietly watched her chew. After a strangely quiet stretch of time…
“…Mmm♪”
A joyful little sound slipped out before she could stop it, and everyone chuckled. She was almost painfully cute.
“Chew, mm. Mmm!”
“Yeah, yeah. We get it—so eat slowly.”
With every chew her expression brightened further, joy sparkling in her eyes. Soon she was stuffing meat into her mouth with the happy face of a child.
“…Hehe♪”
“Kitty’s so cute.”
“Huh? Th-thanks…”
“Can I call you Cecilia?”
“…Yeah. Call me whatever you want. I don’t mind.”
“Hehe. Cecilia!”
It was a truly lively scene. Eating meat, chatting, smiling brightly. I was glad I’d brought her.
“Cecilia! Is it true you came from another world?”
“Uh, ah, yeah. It’s true. I don’t know how I got here, though…”
“Then! Was there magic or anything?”
“There is, of course.”
“Ooooh!!”
A bit overly energetic, maybe—but it didn’t feel bad. Sometimes this kind of ruckus was nice, wasn’t it?
“…So how about it? Can you use magic?”
“Hmm~…. Maybe I can? It’s been so long since I used any that I don’t really remember…”
“Ooooh!! You’re really amazing, Cecilia.”
“Ehehe, not that much…”
Above all, Cecilia’s expression was bright—a mix of shyness and pure enjoyment. Her smile was radiant, her voice full of life. It was wonderful to see.
“We’ve completely become third wheels.”
Hyung’s sudden remark cut in sharply, but even being third wheels was fine. Holding meat in her mouth, nodding, eyes sparkling at Eunhwan, she explained all sorts of things. If Cecilia had a little sister, it would probably feel just like this. She looked happy, at least.
“Third wheels are fine too, right, hyung?”
“Not bad. But you know what’s better?”
“What?”
“Us jumping in and playing along!”
Ding-dong—hyung pressed the call bell. Under everyone’s gaze he spoke without hesitation to the employee who came in.
“One more whole cow over here.”
“Oh?!”
“Isn’t that a lot?”
“Of course it is. Originally we were going to grill slowly and eat slowly, but…”
He finished putting the remaining meat from earlier onto the grill; with a sizzle he grinned.
“…Change of plans! Let’s eat till we die, kids!”
“Oh.”
“Ooooh…!”
“You’re the best, senior!”
Three voices of admiration filled the private room. Me and Eunhwan, of course—and even Cecilia let out a small cheer.
“A meat place is all about the atmosphere! You gotta eat with energy.”
“When you said we should nibble sparingly, when was that, senior?”
“I refuse all rebuttals, junior.”
“Ooooh…. Oh?! Th-that’s way too much, isn’t it?”
And then, seeing the whole cow the employee brought in, Cecilia was stunned. Even I thought it looked like a lot, but…
“A lot? Since there’s a lot, no need to hold back—let’s eat a ton, all of us.”
Hyung unhesitatingly picked up the biggest piece and slapped it onto the grill. Sizzle—! The sound of meat hit the air hard.
“Ooooh…!?”
Watching the grill fill with cooking meat, Cecilia’s eyes sparkled brighter than they ever had before. In front of her Eunhwan chattered away; beside her I occasionally made sure she had water so she wouldn’t choke. The meat was delicious, the voices noisy. Watching Cecilia smile in the middle of it all, I felt satisfaction—and at the same time a faint sense of something missing.
“Hmm~. Elves usually live about three hundred years. Still, they age differently from Normal Humans, so it’s hard to compare simply…”
“What’s a Normal Human?”
“That’s—”
Cecilia was gradually relaxing and keeping the conversation going. Her expression kept loosening. She talked with Eunhwan about the other world, received meat from hyung, and kept bowing her head saying thank you over and over. It was wonderful to watch.
But something still felt lacking.
“Hmm…. …?”
I put a piece of meat in my mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, I wondered what was missing.
“…Alcohol?”
That might be part of it. But was that all?
“If I drank I might figure it ou—ah.”
Just then Cecilia suddenly turned my way. I’d muttered it as self-talk, but it must have reached her ears.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about—”
“Later…”
Suddenly she leaned her head toward me. At a distance where her hair brushed my cheek, she whispered into my ear.
“…Shall we buy some alcohol and go? At home. Just the two of us.”
“….”
Her thin voice tickled my ear. Pulling away, she smiled bashfully again—then went right back to chattering with Eunhwan.
“….”
“Oh my, oh my.”
I glanced over and saw hyung snickering while he grilled. Embarrassed, I propped my chin on my hand and stuffed more meat into my mouth. Somehow, though, that sense of lack felt a little more filled. Strange.
“So—”
“Hehe…”
“You’re in a good mood. Everyone eat plenty.”
A noisy barbecue place, delicious food. Satisfying. And yet—why was home already more exciting than the meat still waiting to be grilled?
“…Nothing to think about, I guess.”
I really am a simple guy. Watching Cecilia chew her meat, that was what I thought.